In poultry hatcheries and other egg processing facilities, eggs are handled and processed in large numbers. The term “processing” includes treating live eggs with medications, nutrients, hormones and/or other beneficial substances while the embryos are still in the egg (i.e., in ovo). In ovo injections of various substances into avian eggs have been employed to decrease post-hatch morbidity and mortality rates, increase the potential growth rates or eventual size of the resulting bird, and even to influence the gender determination of the embryo. Injection of vaccines into live eggs have been effectively employed to immunize birds in ovo. It is further desirable in the poultry industry to manipulate an embryo in ovo to introduce foreign nucleic acid molecules (i.e., to create a transgenic bird) or to introduce foreign cells (i.e., to create a chimeric bird) into the developing embryo.
In ovo injection of a virus may be utilized to propagate the particular virus for use in preparation of vaccines. For some applications it may be desirable to insert a sensing device inside an egg containing an embryo to collect information therefrom, for example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,214 to Hebrank. In addition, it may be desirable to remove material samples from eggs, including embryonic and extra-embryonic materials.
Examples of in ovo treatment substances and methods of in ovo injection, as well as apparatus for handling a plurality of eggs, are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,630 to Sharma et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,421 to Fredericksen et al.
Many of the above-described in ovo methods require accurate positioning of a needle, sampling device or sensing device within an egg. However, it can be difficult to accurately and repetitively position a needle, sampling device, or sensing device within various compartments of an egg using conventional in ovo apparatus and methods. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improved methods of accurately and repetitively placing devices including, but not limited to, needles, sensing devices and sampling devices within various compartments and locations of eggs.